Before the Snow
by Sir-Mercutio-McHuffer
Summary: Life at Hogwarts was a little quirkier than everyone expected.  Enjoy watching the Marauder's grow up from a different angle - complete with hilarity, giant cats and much rivalry.  Prequel to My Last Breath.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Hi all! This is the prequel to My Last Breath. This is a series of drabbles dispersed throughout Alexis' Hogwarts years. I haven't done a huge amount of research - we're flying by the seat of our knickers!

I own nothing 'cept Lexie, Sam, Tiny Tina and Terrance.

* * *

><p>"Hello," the white haired girl said. "I like your nose."<p>

Severus looked at the blue eyes startlingly close to his face and took a step back. It was right before the Sorting Ceremony, the Ceremony which would dictate what house he would become a part of, and his peers, for the rest of his school life.

He blinked. The girl who addressed him had a grin fit to split her face in two and twinkling eyes. "I'm going to take you to the first ball I can," she said with a finality that scared him. Before Severus could get his vocal chords working to respond to either statements, she was flitting off into the crowd.

His next glimpse of her was when her name, "Baldwin, Alexis" was called and she walked out onto the stage. The Sorting Hat promptly yelled "Gryffindor" and a cheer erupted from the table, then she bobbed down into a sea of students. Her hair was a blue-white – so glaringly easy to spot.

It was a long waiting game, as his last name, 'Snape', put him near the end of the list of students.

The only other people of note were a slender girl with flaming red hair, "Evans, Lilly", and a cocky scruff-haired boy named "Potter, James", both of whom were sorted into Gryffindor.

His name was called - "Snape, Severus" - and he walked onto the stage. He sat on the stool and placed the hat on his head.

"Hello," the hat said to him, inside his mind. "Now you're an interesting one," it mused.

"Why am I interesting?" he asked.

The hat did not respond but hummed and haa'd and wiggled this way and that. The hat shouted "SLYTHERIN" and then, in a quieter voice for him alone "keep your eyes open, you never know what you might learn". He frowned, removed the hat from his head and tottered down to the Slytherin table. He caught the bright blue gaze from the Gryffindor table. She smiled at him and he allowed a ghost of a smile before sitting down and focusing on the rest of the ceremony.

* * *

><p>He realised quickly that he was not to be included into any of the social groups. All the first years had integrated themselves into their own social groups, or into others, far too quickly. They excluded him. He was used to it. He preferred his books to socialising anyway. His first few classes were interesting enough, but when he stepped into his Potions class and saw white hair among the blonds and browns, he knew this class would be the highlight of his days.<p>

His teacher was a very competent man of middling years, one Professor Slughorn, who promptly buddied everyone up and informed them this was going to be their buddy for the year, and possibly for the rest of their schooling years, and they'd better get on well enough to complete the potions because they were graded on their potions together.

Alexis' grin showed all her pearly teeth when Severus sat down beside her. "Hello, I didn't introduce myself before," she whispered, leaning into him slightly. "I'm Alexis."

"I'm Severus," he replied, and then focused his attention back to the teacher. She did the same, her grin subsiding into a slight smile. _Yes_, he thought. _This class will definitely be fun._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Reviews make me feel thoroughly inspired to write more :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Huzzah I am uploading chapter 2! These were all written quite some time ago, so I'm just posting what's already written.

Also go see pretty pic I drew of Lexie and Sev http : / / www . binka4wing . deviantart . com/#/d45m9ie

I own nothing 'cept Lexie, Sam, Tiny Tina and Terrance.

* * *

><p>"Hey Severus," Alexis said as she plonked herself down in the seat beside him. "Happy something or other." She pulled out a rather large, suspiciously book-shaped parcel wrapped in dull brown paper. "I can't think of any good excuses, just that I thought this might interest you." She handed it over to him, and he dropped his quill to take it off her.<p>

He was surprised, she could tell. He never expected any kind of kindness from anyone. Half of her wanted to spoil him even more because of it, the other half of her wanted to spoil him more just because she could. He smiled then, and his face became less serious. "Aren't you going to open it now? Tell me if you've already got it, because I have another three or so lined up just in case," she said seriously, tapping the parcel with her finger.

"Thank you, Alexis," he said, still smiling. He moved his books out of the way and placed the heavy parcel on the table. With careful fingers, he opened it, not once ripping the paper. All the while Alexis was bouncing impatiently. He always took too long. When it was finally unwrapped it exposed a thickly bound book titled '_Moste Potente Potions_'. His eyes light up and his smile increased. "I don't have this book," he said with obvious delight, turning his eyes towards his friend. "Thank you again, Lexie."

Alexis smiled back. "I'm glad you don't have it already." She looked down at her hands for a minute, then up at the clock on the wall. "Potions time, we'd best get going if we're going to make the start of the class," she observed.

It was nearly the end of their first year at Hogwarts with only a few more weeks left until summer break. She'd invited him back to her house for the holidays, but his parents had declined the offer in such abrasive haste that he knew he'd be in trouble when he got home. She'd smiled and patted his arm and told him that she would write to him as often as she could and that they would arrange their trips to Diagon Alley for the same day so they could shop for their second year things together.

Severus had his books packed up in record time and they even managed to reach the classroom and sit down before Professor Slughorn arrived. The portly man swept into the room and began writing the instructions for the potion they were to make today on the board.

Quiet mumblings filled the classroom as everyone got to work in their pairs. Alexis promptly set herself in front of the cutting board with a knife to slice the Mandrake roots while Severus took care of organizing the materials to be prepared in the order to be prepared.

After a year of working together, Severus had realized that anything involving particular slicing would take at least two times longer to prepare than anything else. Dicing, grinding and measuring went by in a breeze, but Alexis simply did not have the hand-eye-coordination to slice anything with any kind of speed to her movements. So, naturally, they ensured any slicing was done first so the sliced ingredients could be added at the correct time.

Severus smiled as he watched Alexis ever so slowly bring her knife down on the Mandrake root, her hands wobbling a little. She still managed a neat cut and brought her knife up for the next one. When Severus had first noticed Alexis slicing pain-stakingly slowly, he had immediately offered to take over. She'd refused, and continued to slice carefully, saying she needed the practice more than he did, and so he'd simply arranged their preparation order to account for this.

Severus busied himself getting the water boiling while Alexis finished cutting up the Mandrake roots and moved onto grinding beetle shells with the pestle. She handed him the mortar and he tipped it into their cauldron. Then she set aside the correct amount of dried bat wings and prepared to dice them.

Severus was so focused on the potion that he didn't notice a short burst of light whiz past him, but he was not so absorbed that he didn't notice Alexis freeze and her hand slowly raise to her cheek. He lifted his head to look at her. Her fingers came away covered in blood as it flowed down her cheek.

"Professor!" he said with alarm as she leaned forwards onto the table. Her eyes were wide with shock. She swayed and fainted. Severus grabbed her before she hurt herself as Professor Slughorn rushed towards them.

"Mobilicorpus," the Professor said. "Snape, come with me to the hospital wing. Everyone, continue with your potions!" And with that, Professor Slughorn swept out of the room, carefully guiding the unconscious Alexis ahead of him. Severus picked up their bags and raced after them.

He got to the hospital wing as the mediwitch was settling Alexis onto the bed. She'd woken up and was holding an absorbent gauze to her cheek. Madam Meredith, the mediwitch, ushered Severus in and ordered him to sit.

"Now," she said with an air of briskness about her. "Did you see what she was hit with?" Severus shook his head.

"I was busy with our potion at the time," he added.

Madam Meredith tutted and gently pulled Alexis' hand and gauze away from the cheek. The blood instantly welled up again and spilled over her pale cheek. The gauze was already red and nearly covered with blood.

"Episky," Madam Meredith muttered, wand out. The blood flow didn't stop. She frowned harder and muttered another healing spell. Still, the blood flow did not stop. "Tergeo." Then she handed Alexis a clean gauze and told her to hold it to her cheek a little longer. Then she disappeared into her office to rifle through her books.

Severus pulled his stool closer to Alexis' bed. "You okay?" he asked. She smiled at him.

"It stings a bit, but I'm okay now," she said, reassuring him. Her eyes flamed up as she looked at him. "I would dearly love to find who did this to me." Her jaw clenched, but when she noticed Madam Meredith coming out of her office, she forced her face to relax.

Once again, Madam Meredith moved Alexis' hand and gauze and muttered another healing spell. Her frown deepened when this didn't close the wound. She gave Alexis another fresh gauze and disappeared back into her office.

"It seems it's stubborn," Alexis muttered darkly.

"Just like you," Severus quipped. Alexis shot him a Look and he held up his hands. "Sorry, but it's the truth. You _are_ stubborn." She relented and gave him a slight smile. "I hope Madam Meredith can find something to heal it." As if on queue, Madam Meredith emerged once more from her office, this time brandishing a liquid container.

"Now, you just drink this, dear," the matronly woman said, tipping some golden syrup onto a spoon. "This will simply promote your body's natural ability to cover over a wound." She waved the spoon in Alexis' face and down the vile-smelling gloop went. It actually tasted like maple syrup. "Now, if that hasn't stopped bleeding in another 30 minutes, you send this young man to get me, okay?" She turned to Severus. "You've been exempt from your classes for the rest of the afternoon. You're to stay here to keep her company and to tell me if anything else occurs, understood?" Severus nodded, and Madam Meredith returned to her office.

"I bet it was that little snot Bellatrix," Alexis hissed at Severus. "Whenever she looks at me it's like she's looking at a toad."

"I don't know if Bellatrix would do that... She may not like you, but I don't think she'd ever actively attack you," Severus said, coming to his class-mate's defense.

"Oh she would," Alexis growled, eyes narrowing dangerously. Severus thought it wise to drop the point.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Reviews make me feel thoroughly inspired to write more :D


End file.
